WILDERNESS INVENTORY MAINTENANCE IN BLM OREGON/WASHINGTON (Source: Oregon State Office Internal Guidance as of July 2007) Year: 2008
Inventory Unit Number/Name: Clear Creek
FORM 1: DOCUMENTATION OF BLM WILDERNES INVENTORY
FINDINGS ON RECORD:
1. Is there existing BLM wilderness inventory information on all or part of
this area?
No
Yes
X
(if more than one unit is within the area, list the
names/numbers of those units.):
a) Inventory ource: Memorandum: Pacific Power & Lie:ht SOOKv
Transmission Line Roadless Areas Review, Dec., 1977 and Wilderness
Proposed Initial Inventory, April, 1979.
b) Inventory Unit
ame(s)/Number(s): Stinkingwater, 2-3
c) Map Name(s)/Number(s):_): P roposed Initial Inventory Map, April, 1979.
d) BLM Oistrict(s)/Field Office(s): Burns District- T hree Rivers Resource
Area.
2. BLM Inventory Findings on Record:
Inventory Source: \Vilderness Inventory - OR/\VA Proposed Initial Inventory
Decisions (April, 1979).
Unit#/
Name
Size
(historic
acres)
Stinkingwater,
NA
Natural
Outstanding Outstanding Supplemental
Condition? Solitude?
Primitive & Values?
YIN
YIN
Unconfined YIN
Recreation?
YIN
NA
NA
NA
NA
2-3
*Previously inventoried BLM Roadless Area found to not have wi lderness
characteristics.
FORM 2 - DOCUMENTATION OF CURRENT WILDERNE SS
INVENTORY CONDITIONS
Unit Number/Name: Clear C r eek
(1) Is the unit of sufficient size?
Current Unit Acres: 13,245
Yes _X~-
No
Description of the C urrent Conditions:
Citizen Information R eceived : No citizen information for this unit was received.
Interdisciplina ry (ID) T eam Meeting: An ID-team consisting of BLM staff from the
Burns District met on August 27, 2008 to evaluate this unit. The ID team was provided
with current maps, past and current photographs and description of the area. The team
consisted of wilderness, recreation, range and fisheries staff. Forestry, wildlife, and
archaeology staff were also consulted.
Boundary changes since 1977: The boundary of Clear Creek Unit has changed
considerably with the construction of the PP & L 500Kv Transmission Line across the
southern portion of the road less area and establishing the Idaho Public Power 69 K v
powerline as a portion of the unit's northern boundary. The current unit is much smaller
than the original roadless area unit in 1977.
Current Unit Boundaries (See BLM's Unit Character Map): Routes forming
boundaries were driven during field review. Part of the eastern and all of the western
boundary roads are listed in the BLM Facility Asset Management System. The
remaining eastern boundary is the Lamb Ranch Road and private land. The northern
boundary is U.S Highway 20 and a section of an Idaho Public Power 69 Kv powerline.
The southern boundary is Pacific Power and Light (PP & L) 500 Kv Transmission Line
or its access/maintenance road and private land. The BLM boundary roads have been
mechanically maintained, improved in the past and will continue to be maintained as
needed to allow vehicle passage for public land users.
Vehicle use will continue to occur on a relatively regular basis. The grazing permittees
use the routes to manage livestock operations, including releasing and gathering of cattle,
distributing salt and mineral blocks and checking and maintaining range developments.
BLM personnel utilize the routes for monitoring and checking range condition and
developments as well as inventorying, monitoring and managing wildlife, archaeological
and botanical resources, recreational values/use and wildfire suppression. Most public
use is associated with antelope hunting in late summer and early fall and rockhounding
for petrified wood during the summer months. This unit was not inventoried by ONDA
for wilderness values.
2
N. boundary: U.S. Highway 20 and Idaho Public Power 69 Kv powerline; no
photo points
E. boundary: Lamb Ranch Road, Cow Camp Road, 6276-0-AO and Private land;
BLM Photo Points: CLI-5
S. boundary: PP&L 500 Kv Transmission Line; no photo points
W. boundary: Stinkingwater Access Road, 6276-0-00; no photo points
(2) Is the unit in a natural condition?
Yes
_x_
No
NIA_ _ _
1979 Unit Description: Note: The 1977 Evaluation Summary described a much larger
area than the current unit. The original Stinkingwater, 2-3, is now comprised of four
smaller units-Clear Creek, Stinkingwater, Buzzard Ridge and an easternmost, currently
unnamed unit. Much of the description is irrelevant to this unit; generally noted a
considerable variety of landforms with mountains, steep canyons walls, scattered buttes
and many rolling hills cut by drainages of intermittent streams. Specific to this unit was
Clear Creek listed as one of several perennial streams. Vegetation was described as
sagebrush and scattered juniper trees. Range developments were Clear Creek Seeding
and stock watering reservoirs. Unconfined recreation opportunities were hiking,
backpacking, deer and antelope hunting and rockhounding for petrified wood and
agatized material. Much of the high quality petrified wood had been depleted due to
illegal removal of many large sections of petrified logs and smaller branches with
mechanized equipment.
C urrent Condition Description (Sec Unit Character Map): The primary human uses
in the unit and surrounding lands are livestock grazing-related as well as some recreation
use, mainly big game hunting for antelope and deer in late summer and fall. One grazing
allotment, Stinkingwater, is within the unit's boundaries with major portions of four
pastures. There are a couple division fences and a fenced interior private land parcel as
well as several livestock watering reservoirs and numerous developed springs. Impacts
from these developments are minimal.
A large seeding has been developed in the eastern part of the unit between the Lamb
Ranch Road and the eastern boundary of the interior private land parcel and south to
Cow Camp Road. Sagebrush is regrowing and again becoming an established and
dominant species in various locations of the seeding. The PP&L 500 Kv Transmission
Line can be seen from much ofsouthern portion of the unit.
Below is a summary of developments and vegetative treatments:
Gates: 7 Fences: 19.2 miles Reservoirs: 4 Springs: 6 Seedings: 3,018 acres Interior non-boundary roads: 12.1 miles 3
)
(3) Does the unit have outstanding opportunities for solitude?
Yes
No __.X_
N/A_ _
1979 Unit Description: It was uncertain as to the opportunities for solitude.
Current Condition Description : A smaJl section of Clear Creek Canyon provides some
solitude in the south end of the unit. However, there is little vegetative and topographic
screening to block sights and sounds of outside intrusions as weJl as use withi n most of
the unit. Much of it is open, with scattered junipers on grass and sagebrush-covered flats
and foothills of the Stinkingwater Mountains. Views are far-reaching and human
activities can be easi ly seen and heard.
(4) Does the unit have outstanding opportunities for primitive and unconfined
recreation?
Yes
No__2L
N/A
1977 Unit Description: It was uncertain whether the unit has outstanding opportunities
for primitive and unconfined recreation activities. Vehicles are necessary for
rockhounding activity.
Current Condition Description: Hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, camping, wild
horse viewing, rockhounding and hunting opportunities are present. The rockhounding
area for petrified wood has small pieces of wood scattered on the surface from
disintegration of exposed li mbs over time and are scattered along the rims of drainages.
The petrified wood does not provide a very desirable, scarce or gem-quality product, but
it is still interesting to the recreational collector.
(5) Does the unit have supplemental values?
Yes
No
N/A_ll_
Summary of Findings and Conclusion
Unit Name and Number: Clear Creek
Summary Results of Analysis:
1. Does the area meet any of the size requirements? _L_Yes _No
2. Does the area appear to be natural?
_lL_Yes _ _No
3. Does the area offer outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and
unconfined type of recreation?
_ _Yes _ll_No _ _ NA
4
)
4. Does the area have supplemental values?
_K_Yes _ _No _ _NA
Conclusion (Check One):
_ _ The area-or a portion of the area-has wilderness character.
X The area does not have wilderness character.
P repared by : David E. Vickstrom, Wilderness Specialist
5
..
J
)
Unit Name and Number: Clea r C reek
Team Members:
;2 /;; 1;)-o!O
Date
Lindsay Davie:;, Fisheries Biologist - Bums District
-2 - 2o
Date
:2 -3 - .?-010
Bill Andersen, Lead Range Spec1alist- Bums District
Date
2..
Dave Vickstrom, Wilderness Specialist- Bums District
-"2--
2-0/0
Date
Approved by:
Tit is form documents information tit at constitutes an inventory finding on wilderness characteristics. It
does not represent a forma/land use allocation or a final agency decision subject to administrative
remedies under either ~3 CFR parts~ or 1610.5-2.02
6
CLEAR CREEK UNIT CHARACTER MAP
~EAR CREEK WIM Un~
&
Proposed Met Tower
BlM Photo Points
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CATTLE GUARD
GATE
T
RESERVOIR
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SPRING DEVELOPMENT
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-
Unit Boundary Roads
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Primitive or Unknown Road Surface
c:::J Aiotment
Bureau of la~d Management
Private
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